Research by the Equal Justice Initiative has shown that over 4000 lynchings took place in 10 southern states between the years 1850 and 1950.
Living in the Deep South for many years, I have come to see lynching sites across the south as an unmarked holocaust within our nation. In 2016, I began to visit these sites and collect soil, mixing it into the pigments used in these paintings, creating a direct connection between the imagery and the event.
I call this group “The Acknowledgement Series.” Each one pays tribute to a person who was a victim to this unmarked holocaust.
Bernice speaks:
Cup
From the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, July 29, 1922:
“July 28, 1922, Texarkana, Arkansas: A quarrel over a drinking cup between a white street paving foreman and a negro laborer at Hope, Arkansas, was followed this afternoon by the lynching of the negro near Guernsey, Arkansas.”
Bones
“This painting calls attention to the cruel and inhumane way the body was disposed, according to surviving members of the family.” Bernice
La Pieta (the Pity)
New York Times, December 16, 1933 “Cleared by the Jury, then Lynched – Columbia TN, December 15: Cord Cheeck, age 20, a negro, was found hanging from the limb of a cedar tree near here tonight. He was lynched following the refusal of a Grand Jury to indict him for molesting an 11 year old white girl.” from 100 Years of Lynching’s, Ralph Ginzburg
In this work, the first painting in the Raw Truth Acknowledgment series, is called, La Pieta (the Pity), a reference to the sculpture of the same name by Michelangelo, depicting the grief of Mary as she holds the slain body of Jesus.
“My intention was to convey the experience and grief of family members as they care for the body of their deceased loved one.” Bernice
Night and Day
Henry Choate was taken from the Maury County jail in Columbia, Tennessee, and hung from the balcony at the courthouse. The rope was left hanging from the balcony for several months.
“I chose this subject for the series because of the blatant absurdity and injustice in this act of violence.” Bernice
Acknowledgment
We live in an age where our history has been scrubbed. We have we have insulated ourselves by hiding from sight these difficult issues of the past, yet the impact of these deeds never go away. They keep erupting violence over and over.
We of today are not directly guilty of these injustices, yet the pain from centuries of racial injustice endures within the psyche of our American culture and throughout our world. This pain can only be healed by acknowledgment and truth, and truth is an essential ingredient for the creative process.
Our work therefore, is to transform the dark side into creative acts that shine a light on injustice and unfairness. Artists are the Weavers of Truth and thus, Slayers of Fear. These times call for devotion, dedication, and direction.